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PARMA, ITALY – MARCH 08: Parma FC team manager Alessandro Melli looks on during the Serie A match between Parma FC and Atalanta BC at Stadio Ennio Tardini on March 8, 2015 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Former Italy striker Alessandro Melli has launched a scathing criticism of modern football following the thrilling 5-4 Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
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While many praised the spectacle, Melli took the opposite view, arguing that the game has lost its tactical balance, with quotes via La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I’ll go against the grain, but between VAR and a style of play that no longer includes defending, marking or midfield protection, this football literally makes me sick,” he wrote on social media.
The ex-Parma, Sampdoria and Milan forward suggested that the current product is driven more by entertainment than substance.
“Do you know who loves this kind of football? Television companies, commentators and fans who just want to see goals but don’t understand anything about the game,” he added. “Modern football has become the new NBA.”
Melli: ‘I still prefer PSG-Bayern to Milan-Juventus’
Melli later clarified his stance after facing criticism, insisting his comments were not a defence of Italian football but rather a warning about the sport’s direction.
“I didn’t say I prefer Milan-Juventus to PSG-Bayern, I’d choose the second every time,” he explained. “I just mean that with this trend, where the culture of defending no longer exists and rules and VAR influence every episode, we will start seeing matches ending 7-5 or 6-6.”
He also pointed to a broader cultural shift in how football is consumed. “Once, scoring was difficult, you had to earn it,” Melli continued. “Even the best players had to work incredibly hard for every goal. Now there is this idea that every attack can lead to a goal.”
In his view, this evolution benefits broadcasters and commercial interests.
“It helps television sell the product and clubs to sell tickets at crazy prices,” he concluded, stressing that his remarks reflected a personal opinion rather than an absolute truth.
